Internet filters and academic freedom: Librarian and stakeholder perceptions and their impact on access to informationDavid I. Orenstein & Lisa Stoll-RonLIBRES, Volume 24, Issue 2 (December 2014), page 62-74Background. Filtering software is used in libraries to block Web-based content; this includes parts or all of certain websites, ranges of IP addresses, as well as key word level sifting of search results that delete or do not return all possible and alternative content. There are academic institutions that actively do filter access to the Internet for their students, faculty and staff.Objective. How do librarians and other key campus stakeholders view the use of Internet filters? The data presented in this paper comes from a cross-institutional study which surveyed senior administrators, IT professionals, faculty and librarians to gauge their views related to use of Internet filters.
Methods. The data selected for this article focuses on a comparative analysis of responses to questionnaires completed by both librarians and senior administrators. However, other outcome data will be discussed for all participant groups.Results. Results suggest that while librarians as a professional group stand firmly for open access and against filters, academic administrators are split on the role filters play in denying access to Internet content. While faculty and IT staff each view the necessity and value of filters with varying degree of approval.Significance. These perceptions have policy implications related to academic freedom for teaching, learning and for academic libraries and IT departments, as well as their parent institutions.

The articles in this section are revised versions of papers presented at the ISIC 2014 Workshop on Information Behaviour on Social Media held at the University of Leeds, 2nd September 2014. Subsequent to the Workshop, the papers were reviewed by members of the LIBRES editorial board and external reviewers, and revised by the authors.

Issues in information behaviour on social mediaChristopher S.G. KhooLIBRES, Volume 24, Issue 2 (December 2014), page 75-96Background. Social media present a rich environment to study information behaviour, as much of the user interaction is recorded and stored in publicly accessible repositories and on personal devices.Objectives. This paper surveys the literature of the past nine years on information behaviour related to social media, focusing on social networking sites and online discussion forums. It reviews the characteristics of social media users and use, the predominant types of information behaviour, and new types of information found in user-contributed content.Results. Studies have found clear age, gender and national differences, and differences between local citizens and foreigners, in the frequency and purpose of social media use, the choice of social media sites, number of online friends, and types of information posted. Social media users typically share experiential and practical knowledge in the context of everyday life. Informational support provided by social media users is complemented with socio-emotional support. Predominant types of information behaviour include asking (i.e. request for information), answering with information, unsolicited information sharing, and information integration. Browsing and monitoring are important types of information seeking behaviour on social media. Users use a combination of information behaviours, information sources, and online as well as offline sources for information needs that are important to them.Conclusion. Social media are evolving into important sources of information that complement traditional information sources. They provide an opportunity to study types of information behaviour related to human interaction, that are difficult to study in physical environments.

Search delegation, synthesists and expertise on social mediaPaul MatthewsLIBRES, Volume 24, Issue 2 (December 2014), page 97-107Background. Social media often adds a layer of intermediation between sources and information consumer, with users outsourcing some of the information work to others. Social media “synthesists” have been identified as a group of volunteer information providers fulfilling this role.Approach. Through a review of evidence from philosophy, information science and knowledge management, this paper explores the implications of cognitive outsourcing, presents quality standards for synthesis and asks how well synthesists meet these. In the process, the role of intermediary is discussed, along with the non-specialist status of the synthesist.Results. Findings show that social media synthesists fulfil a useful role and that their importance in terms of knowledge translation is clear. While their synthesis quality may fall far short of LIS standards, there are a number of ways that some quality issues can be addressed, including the involvement of the information profession itself on the same social platforms.Contribution. Through a comparison of synthesis best practice with current informal information behaviour on social media, the paper draws attention to quality issues and new opportunities to address them. This represents an attempt to identify ways to bridge formal and emerging, informal information markets.

Young learners’ use of social media for information seeking: Exploring core LIS journals from 2010-2014Jette HyldegårdLIBRES, Volume 24, Issue 2 (December 2014), page 108-117Background. Increased use of social media for information seeking and learning calls for more research and knowledge of how these emerging technologies can support students’ learning.
Objectives. The focus is on recent studies of young learners’ use of social media for information seeking in an academic context.Methods. The research is based on critical reading of core library and information science (LIS) journals and a selected number of conference proceedings spanning 2010 to 2014. The examination of the selected journals and proceedings was guided by two general questions: 1) Which information seeking activities, strategies and preferences can be identified when young learners use social media for information seeking in relation to course work and other study-related work tasks? 2) What motivations can be identified among young learners for using social media for information seeking in a study context?Results. Seven studies were identified and reviewed. According to the reported results, use of social media tends to afford certain types of behavior. Specific strategies, tactics and criteria were used when requesting and evaluating information or formulating information needs. The reported factors motivating information seeking were convenience and easy access to information, in addition to the content associated with specific social media types. Students’ use of social media for information seeking was associated primarily with their private information landscape.Contributions. The challenges of using non-traditional social sources for information seeking identified in the studies raise questions of how teachers and information professionals can educate young learners to use social media competently as information seekers and authors of information.

Collectively figuring it out: Foreign-trained health professionals and labor market integrationNadia Caidi, Anita Komlodi, Aline Lima Abrao & Aqueasha Martin-HammondLIBRES, Volume 24, Issue 2 (December 2014), page 118-131Background. Foreign-trained health professionals arrive in the United States and Canada to find a professional environment that is often unwelcoming and complex.Objectives. We examine the nature of information in foreign-trained health professionals’ lives as they attempt to integrate into the North American labor market. We focus on the role that online discussion forums play in channeling the discussions: what functions do these online spaces support (e.g., informational, emotional, instrumental and phatic) and how information is shared (e.g., sharing stories, linking to/reposting resources, contextualizing and critiquing).Methods. Content analysis was carried out on a sample of postings directed at foreign-trained health professionals in five online forums: AllNurses and Trackitt in the United States; and Canadian Desi, LoonLounge and CanadaVisa in Canada.Results. The interactions in these forums include requesting guidance and clarification about the North American system, sharing experiences and stories, expressing visceral or affective reactions, offering opinions, and negotiating the norms and etiquette of the forum. The content of the postings mostly revolve around issues relating to the immigration process, certification and employability. Other issues identified can be grouped into three categories: information preparedness, information as support and informational practices.Conclusion. Foreign-trained health professionals are faced with a combination of unfamiliar healthcare system, terminology, information sources and information-seeking practices. Online communities supported by online discussion forums help these health professionals integrate into the local healthcare system.

Relevance judgment when browsing a health discussion forum: Content analysis of eye fixationsWenjing Pian, Christopher S.G. Khoo & Yun-Ke ChangLIBRES, Volume 24, Issue 2 (December 2014), page 132-147Introduction. People are increasingly searching and browsing for health information on social media sites. This is a small study of the relevance criteria used by laypersons when browsing a health discussion forum under three conditions—when seeking information for their own health issue, for a friend’s or relative’s health issue, and with no particular issue in mind.Methods. An eye-tracker system was used to identify what text users’ eyes were fixated on when browsing post surrogates and post content on a health discussion forum. Eye-fixations indicated the text segments that the user’s attention was focused on when making relevance judgments. Content analysis was performed on the text segments with eye-fixation, to identify the types of information they contain. These types of information are considered to be the direct relevance criteria used.Results. Users seeking information for their own health issue focused on case-based information: the poster’s symptom and history of disease, demographic information, and feelings about the symptom. They also focused on descriptions of disease and treatments. Participants seeking for other people’s health issue focused on factual information: terminology, etiology and description of disease, and description of treatments. Participants browsing with no particular issue focused on topics of general interest such as smoking, and rare or unusual issues.Conclusion. While the relevance criteria of topicality, accuracy, currency and authority are not unimportant, they are not upper-most in the minds of users when assessing information content.

EDITORIAL BOARD for this issue

Christopher Khoo (Editor)
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Bradford Lee Eden
Valparaiso University, USA

Heather Moulaison (Associate Editor, Research Section)
University of Missouri, USA